Student Lifecycle Programme
Challenge
In spring 2021, a leading university engaged the consultancy services of Caja to escalate the development of its Student Lifecycle Programme - a comprehensive initiative with an investment of approximately £50 million. This Vice-Chancellor- sponsored programme aimed to transform back-office
systems and processes significantly. Despite being in a "holding pattern" during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to reinvigorate and rapidly scale the programme became apparent post-2020 to ensure the realisation of key objectives and stakeholder engagement, particularly in successfully rolling out Phase 2 of the Student Lifecycle Programme (SLP). The resumption required a thorough reassessment and enhancement of the programme's structure, governance, methodologies, resourcing, benefits definition, and direct support to the Programme Manager to navigate this
critical phase.
Solution
Caja devised a customised, three-stage solution tailored to the unique challenges and evolving needs of the
programme:
Foundation Strengthening:
Initially, the focus was on solidifying the programme's base-structuring, governance, methodologies, resourcing, and benefits articulation. This foundational work included mentoring and advisory services to facilitate a swift and effective
programme scale-up.
Increasing Certainty of Delivery:
With the imperative to demonstrate substantial progress in 2021, efforts concentrated on defining a clear, baselined portfolio for SLP Phase 2. This involved introducing a Phase 2 delivery lead, enhancing governance and board support,
and partnering with a strategic PMO to ensure success.
Enhancing Delivery Capability:
Following the successful launch of Phase 2, attention shifted towards ensuring the long-term sustainability of the programme. This stage focused on reinforcing the university team's
capacity to sustain programme delivery effectively.
Outcome
Through this strategic approach, over 120 HR & Payroll processes were identified and re-engineered to align with business requirements and best practices. These redesigned processes were integrated into a new ERP system, with Caja's consultants serving as the Business Solution design authorities throughout the build and test phases. Additionally, around 30 events were orchestrated, engaging employees across various levels
of the university, including faculties and directorates. These events were pivotal in promoting new operational methodologies and furthering the business
transformation agenda.
testimonial
The University of Leeds was delighted to have worked with Caja. They were able to bring in their transformation expertise and higher education knowledge to support our Student Lifecyle Programme. Caja helped us establish governance models, instil solid QA around programme set up and then supported our teams to successfully deliver the next phase of the programme.We would welcome the opportunity to work with Caja again and recommend their services.
